In 1995 I was teaching at Scales Mound high school in Scales Mound, IL. The new art teacher had just created a new drawing of the school mascot, a green Hornet. A large tree right in front of the school had died and the top cut off it. As a side hobby I had taken up chainsaw wood carving. new mascot, large tree in front of the school and a guy that likes to carve things with a chainsaw. Do you see where this is going?
If not keep reading and as Paul Harvey used to say, "and now for the rest of the story.."
The new Hornet mascot as designed by the new art teacher. It had some punch and I thought it would make a nice carving.
I began by making a 3D clay model that would have the Hornet standing more vertical and the wings closer to the body. I wanted to work in the academic side of school into the carving so I had the Hornet standing on two "books of knowledge".
Since I decided to do this project on my own I didn't ask anyone if it would be OK to carve and did it over spring break while school was out. I had carved a 12' tall Cardinal red bird a few years earlier in Darlington so I knew how to go about it but there is always the thought in my mind that it might not turn out. To make the first cuts I borrowed an old chainsaw that had a 48" bar on it.
But it did turn out and looked pretty good if I do say so myself. Even made the '95 Hornet yearbook.
Time would take its toll on the stump of the tree that the Hornet was carved on and in 2005 (I had left Scales Mound by then) I got a call from Jim Glasker that the Hornet need some work, could I take look at it. I did and decided It needed a new base.
I will continue the repairs in my next story if you want to see how involved the process becomes to keep a 30 year old wood carving alive.
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